The Master Chemical Mechanism

VERSION 3.3.1

Welcome to the MCM website

The Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) is a near-explicit chemical mechanism which describes the detailed gas-phase chemical processes involved in the tropospheric degradation of a series of primary emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Currently, the degradation of methane and 142 non-methane VOCs is represented.

The MCM was originally developed to provide accurate, robust and up-to-date information concerning the role of specific organic compounds in ground-level ozone formation in relation to air quality policy development in Europe. However, it also provides a research tool for investigating other areas where a detailed representation of the chemistry is required, e.g. the generation of distributions of speciated radical and closed-shell intermediates formed during VOC degradation.

The main intention of this web site is to provide a flexible, easily utilised platform for the MCM that is readily accessed by the research and user communities, and to help promote its development and validation.